This was my first trip alone. I always wanted to go to Costa Rica and I couldn't have stayed at a better place. The accommodations are outstanding. Very luxurious in many ways, but in keeping with a traditional open air concept, which was what I wanted. The kitchen is outstanding. I spent many of my days relaxing on the big couch or in the hammock. I enjoyed my morning coffee down by the shore, watching the beautiful sunrise. The private fresh water pool was a welcome addition as cooling off was a daily event. The bedroom upstairs was large and spacious with a place to put all of your things. The bed was large and comfortable and the netting around it made you feel safe and protected, but honestly bugs weren't even an issue. The sounds of the waves at night lulled me to sleep almost instantly. I love all animals, so I had no issues with any of the small visitors that would appear downstairs. If you stayed here, you would have to be ok with that too. There were 2 small black spiny tailed iguanas that would hang out basking in the sun, but at night would hide under furniture and sleep. Nothing would wake them up, so dont worry about getting up in the night and encountering them. You could also find very small house geckos zipping around the half walls. A tree frog liked resting on the side of the the breakfast counter each night. And a large cane toad would just sit by the side of the pool at night, so keep your flashlight on when walking to the bathroom in the dark. On a sunny day, you could find little whip tailed skink things dashing about on the dirt. On a couple occasions I tried to get a good picture of a large green iguana that was on the other side of the driveway, but it was always too fast and scampered up a tree by a little stream. If you stood near the stream long enough, you would surely find a common basilisk, (Jesus lizard) They are fast. But the best was the day a hawk flew into the house and perched on the entryway wall. It chilled for a bit, and seemed right at home, then took off. Scarlet macaws were a daily occurrence, flying over head, or eating things high up in trees. And you will never forget the most amazing sounds of all.. howler monkeys. They would carry on, sometimes for 20 minutes. A short walk around the property and you could easily see them high up in the trees. I really came here to see the wildlife, and honestly didn't even need to go on any guided hike in the rainforest (although I did, and it was worth it)